2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback vs Sedan Comparison

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last year in March and has been attracting a lot of attention since then in Canada.

The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class is the nameplate’s first-ever generation to come to Canada and in the process becomes the entry-level Mercedes-Benz for buyers here. That in and of itself means the car will get noticed.

Luckily, Mercedes-Benz didn’t just slap a lower price on the new A-Class and hope that would be enough. They put quite of bit of tech and features in their new entry-level vehicle including the new MBUX system. Moreover, they actually built a car that’s fun to drive and quite refined. Both our 2019 A-Class Hatchback and 2019 A-Class Sedan reviews confirmed it.

Here, we’re going to assume you’ve already decided on buying a new 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. The only thing left is to decide between the A 250 hatchback and the A 220 sedan. Let’s have a look at how each stack up in terms of powertrains, interior space and pricing.

Before getting into that, however, we can tell you right now that standard and optional features on both the A 250 hatchback and A 220 sedan are the same from what we can tell with the info released by Mercedes-Benz.

A 7-inch MBUX touchscreen is standard but the Premium Package will get you the 10.25-inch dual screen seen below.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class | Photo: Mercedes-Benz

The MBUX system provides enhanced voice controls and connectivity features designed to adapt to the driver’s preferences and make interacting with the vehicle easier and more efficient.

The voice command “Hey, Mercedes” allows you to have natural conversations with your A-Class. You can ask it to lower the inside temperature by simply saying “Hey, Mercedes; it’s warn in here”. That’s just one example and in both the sedan and the hatchback, the MBUX system is included but you have to opt for the Premium Package to get the advanced voice controls.

The Premium Package also gives you blind spot assist, keyless start, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear cross-traffic alert, auto dimming mirrors and foot activated trunk release. The latter is only available on the A-Class sedan but aside from that both the hatch and sedan get the same package.

Thus far, it’s difficult to differentiate the sedan and hatchback given that they both essentially offer the same standard and optional features. We’ll have to go under the engine to find the real difference between each 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class variant.

2019 A-Class Hatchback and Sedan Powertrains

Here we find the first significant difference between the A 250 Hatchback and A 220 Sedan. The first is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The sedan also gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, but it develops 188 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque.

In other words, the A-Class Hatchback is the fastest car of the two. In 0-100 km/h terms, the A 250 needs 6.2 seconds while the A 220 Sedan needs 7.2 seconds. Official fuel economy numbers haven’t been released, but the sedan will likely be more efficient given the fact that it has less power. Both get the same 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Cargo Capacity

You’d think that the hatchback has more overall cargo capacity, but in terms of liters it’s actually the A 220 sedan that has the upper hand with 420 liters of space behind the rear seats. The A 250 Hatchback has 370 liters.

That said, the hatchback has a more functional space given that, well, it’s a hatch. That means it will be easier to transport tall objects in the hatch, but the sedan has more overall space.

A-Class Hatchback or Sedan?

To sum it up, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is slightly more affordable, it has slightly more space in the trunk, and better fuel economy. It’s not as fast, however, and it’s trunk isn’t as versatile.

For the difference in price we’d go with the A 250 Hatchback with 4Matic, but it’s up to you to test drive both and see which one works with your needs.

Charles Jolicoeur was studying to be a CPA when he decided to drop everything and launch a car website in 2012. Don't ask. The journey has been an interesting one, but today he has co-founded and manages 8 websites including EcoloAuto.com and MotorIllustrated.com as General Manager of NetMedia360. He also sits on the board of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada.

Motor Illustrated is all about cars. We want to inform consumers about the latest automotive news, and hopefully provide them with the info they need when buying a new or pre-owned car. We also tend to be pretty opinionated.